1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a method of exchanging data between mobile phones, and more particularly to a method in which one mobile phone is connected with another mobile phone and exchanges data, such as melodies, animations, phone directories or multimedia files, with the other through an inter-working function or proxy inter-working function service.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With the development of mobile phones, the users of mobile phones store data, such as personal information, phone directories, schedules, in their mobile phones. Accordingly, users usually carry mobile phones as one of their necessities such as a diary or a pocket book. Additionally, the users of mobile phones often desire to share their information stored in their mobile phones with other persons by exchanging it with them.
As a result, the users of mobile phones demand technology for transmitting data stored in one mobile phone to another mobile phone and receiving data transmitted from the other phone.
Such technology is implemented for example in a system as shown in FIG. 1, which is comprised of a base station 300, a mobile switching center 400, and a telephone network 500. In this drawing, reference numerals 100 and 200 designate a mobile phone and a personal computer, respectively. The detailed description of this system is disclosed in Korean Pat. Appln. No. 2000-0052451. In the prior art system, although data exchange is easily performed, there are still inconveniences in exchanging data in that a certain computer program must be used and a computer must intervene in the exchange.
As another example of conventional data exchange technology, there is disclosed data exchange using infrared communication, as shown for example in FIG. 2.
The infrared ports of mobile phones are employed to allow data, such as melodies, animations, and phone directories, to be exchanged between mobile phones. In this case, a receiving mobile phone must be situated within the range of an angle of 30° and a distance of 10 cm from the infrared port of a transmitting mobile phone. Accordingly, when one mobile phone is not situated in physical proximity to another mobile phone, they cannot exchange data with each other. In brief, conventional data exchange is not reliable and has a functional distance limitation.